. >> reporter: some republicans, such as house budget chair paul ryan, on msnbc today, also questioned whether the meetings with lawmakers are just for show. >> the question is, is he going was the so-called charm offensive a temporary, you know, poll-driven political calculation, or was it a sincere conversion to try and bring people together and start communicating? >> reporter: other republicans expressed more optimism about the talks and about the larger process of compromise. >> there are going to be places we are going to disagree, and he recognizes that we recognize it, but that doesn't mean that we can't find places where as he would say where there is overlap and try to do those things and so it was encouraging, i was glad to have him come. >> reporter: for now, house republicans are going ahead with ryan's budget proposal, unveiled yesterday, to balance the federal ledger by 2023, relying heavily on spending cuts and entitlement reforms. democrats in the senate are pushing their own plan, a 50-50 mix of spending cuts and higher tax revenues. neither plan is given much chance